Lockheed: The future is drones

Lockheed Martin Corp., a defense contractor better known for fighter jets and missile defense, is banking on drones, Reuters reports.

Military requirements for surveillance as well as an untapped commercial market will translate to growing demand for unmanned aircraft, said Steve Adlich, business development manager for unmanned integrated systems at the Bethesda-based company.

Lockheed (NYSE: LMT) touts a number of planes designed for everything from reconnaissance to bringing supplies to troops in combat, as well as the RQ-170 intelligence drone developed by its Skunkworks research division that grabbed the limelight when one went down in Iran in 2011.